Jointed Toy

ABSTRACT

A stuffed toy with removable arms, legs, and other parts uses magnets to allow easy attachment and removal. A magnet interlocks with another piece to prevent lateral movement or slippage of the magnets against the piece. Variously colored stuffed toys can be arranged together so that the user can mix and match variously shaped and colored pieces with variously shaped and colored main bodies. The stuffed toys can mimic actual limb rotation and positioning because the magnets permit stuffed toy pieces to rotate relative to one another once the pieces are attached via magnets.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a stuffed toy. More particularly, the present invention is a toy with removable limbs so that children can not only move the limbs to various positions while the limbs are attached to the main body of the toy, but children can actually remove and replace the limbs.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Toys live in the realm of childhood. One of the most common toys children play with is a stuffed toy. The stuffed toy not only can provide psychological comfort, but moreover, can become a point of interaction and creativity. Some children will dress their stuffed toys, while other children will feed them and even place a diaper on a stuffed toy. Unfortunately, stuffed toys are rather static creatures. They must be rather strong to stand up to the constant dropping, throwing, cuddling, smashing that typical children administer to stuffed toys. Because stuffed toys are so static, children can oftentimes lose interest in a stuffed toy after a short period of overwhelming enjoyment. There is a need for a stuffed toy that can morph or change so that once the aura or the look of the stuffed toy no longer enchants a child, the stuffed toy can change its appearance. If the stuffed toy takes on a new form or appearance, then the child will continue to be drawn to the stuffed toy, and parents will not feel that stuffed toys must simply aggregate in a corner of the room so that the child has a variety of stuffed toys. Currently, there are no real solutions to allowing stuffed toys to change their appearance absent dressing them differently.

One way to alter a toys appearance is to provide parts connected via hook-and-loop type fasteners or magnets. For children, pulling a toy apart and then reassembling can involve hours of playtime as the toy is reassembled to form different configurations. In fact, toys do exist wherein limbs can be attached and detached, but stuffed toys are flexible and soft. Thus, if a stuffed toy is to have magnets or some other type of fastening system, a greater problem exists: how to incorporate a reattaching system into a toy that is very flexible, that might rip apart as a child is attempting to detach parts, and that has piles which obscure and prevent the reattaching system from functioning. Thus, there is a need for a stuffed toy that reliably provides a child with the ability to attach, detach, and reattach limbs and various other parts.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,604 issued to Alonso on Apr. 2, 1968, shows a rubber toy with limbs that remove via magnets so that the toy can be made to appear differently depending on the desires of child. Unlike the present invention, Alonso's device does not provide a stuffed toy with magnetic limb connections, but rather, Alonso's device is of a non-pile, rather rigid material. Unlike the present invention, there is no teaching suggestion in Alonso for how magnets can be used to attach limbs in a stuffed toy wherein piles obscure connection points. Further unlike the present invention, Alonso's device does not recognize nor offer a solution for preventing connection points from serving as points for ripping a stuffed toy open.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,361 issued to Morita on Nov. 6, 1984, shows a magnetic clasp which protects magnetic records from being adversely affected by the magnetic induction lines of a magnet characterized in that the lines of magnetic induction inherent to the magnet are conveyed by the ferromagnetic end surface rather than diverged to outside in order to maximize the attracting power of the magnet. Morita's patent notes that Morita's device can be used as a clasp or lock for bags, boxes, bands or chains and has wide application for suitcases, handbags and purses; however, unlike the present invention, Morita's patent offers no way to interface Morita's device with a stuffed toy. Unlike the present invention, Morita's device does not provide a stuffed toy with magnetic limb connections, but rather, Morita's device merely offers a magnet. Unlike the present invention, there is no teaching suggestion in Morita for how magnets can be used to attach limbs in a stuffed toy wherein piles obscure connection points. Further, unlike the present invention, Morita's device does not recognize nor offer a solution for preventing connection points from serving as points for ripping a stuffed toy open.

Thus, there is a need for a device which employs removable connections in a way appropriate for stuffed toys to afford stuffed toys the ability to have interchangeable parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a stuffed toy with magnets positioned at points along the stuffed toy so that a piece of the stuffed toy can attach, detach, and reattach. Preferably, the magnet is located at each joint of a stuffed animal to provide a point to receive an attachment, while a second magnet attracting attachment is located on any piece to be attached to the toy. For example, the magnet is positioned at the arm socket of the stuffed animal, while the magnet attracting attachment is positioned on the top portion of an arm to be attached to the stuffed animal.

The attachment not only attracts the magnet, but they interlock with a plug portion emanating from the magnet attracting attachment and a hole portion, to receive the plug portion, in the magnet. The hole portion and plug portion serve two purposes. First, because the attached portion of the stuffed animal is likely a limb, the plug portion can rotate in the hole portion and allow the limb to rotate about the main body of the stuffed animal as would a joint of a real animal. Second, the plug portion fits inside the hole portion to prevent the attachment from sliding off of the magnet if pressure is applied perpendicular to the angle of the connection.

As is further described in the detailed description below, the magnets are formed with additional adaptations to allow them to function properly without damaging stuffed toys or becoming dislodged there from.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the male mount of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the female mount of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the male mount metal washer of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the female metal washer of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a back view of the female mount attached to main body of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a back view of the male mount attached to appendage of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an environmental view of the plush toy with one appendage detached to show male and female mounts of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-7, display a children's plush toy with the capability to detach each appendage.

The present invention is a children's plush toy with magnetic joints at the head, arms and legs to allow motion, removal and interchangeability without damaging the present invention.

The present invention achieves three main goals. First, the present invention has the capability to detach and reattach the appendages of a stuffed toy with a lower risk of damage due to playful wear and tear; second, in order to reduce the risk of lost parts the use of Ferrite magnets provides a strong bond so that the appendages will not fall off at the slightest movement, but weak enough so that a child, no younger than the age of three, may be able to detach the appendages by themselves. Testing shows this statement to be true; and third, the present invention's particular method of magnetic attachment appendages are able to rotate 360 degrees while still attached to the main body to provide more realistic and life like play.

The present invention has a male mount 10 and a female mount 20. The male mount 10 consists of a small stud 12, on the opposite side two malleable prongs 14, a vinyl or fabric reinforcement 16 and a metal washer 18. The female mount 20 consists of a stud receptacle 22, two malleable prongs 24, a vinyl or fabric reinforcement 26 and a metal washer 28. The present invention is dependant on these parts to properly function. The preferred embodiment separately attaches prongs 14 and prongs 24 to male mount 10 and female mount 20 by use of a single rivet 15 and rivet 25 in the center of male mount 10 and female mount 20. Metal washer 18 and metal washer 28 have slots 17 and slots 27 and aperture 19 and aperture 29. Slots 17 and slots 27 allow prongs 14 and prongs 24 to be inserted though washer 18 and washer 28. Aperture 19 and aperture 29, in this particular embodiment are present but necessary to accommodate the protruding rivet 15 and rivet 25.

FIGS. 1-4 should be utilized to understand the present invention's fastening method of the male mount 10 and female mount 20 to appendages 1 and main body 2 (see FIG. 3 for appendage 1 and main body 2). The present invention has two main elements, the male mount 10 and the female mount 20. In FIG. 1, the male mount 10 is a metal tab attached to appendages 1 by inserting prongs 14 through the outer fabric 3 of appendages 1 and through vinyl or fabric reinforcement 16. Prongs 14 are then inserted through metal washer 18 (found in FIG. 3) and bent inward securing male mount 10 to appendages 1. In FIG. 2, the female mount 20 is a magnetic tab attached to the main body 2 by inserting prongs 24 through the outer fabric 4 of main body 2 and through vinyl reinforcement 26. Prongs 24 are then inserted through metal washer 28 (found in FIG. 4) and bent inward securing female mount 20 to main body 2.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the interior of appendages 1 and main body 2. These figures should be utilized to understand the method of securing both the male mount 10 and female mount 20 to appendages 1 and main body 2 accordingly.

As previously described, and displayed in FIG. 5, once prongs 14 have been inserted through the outer fabric 3 of appendages 1, vinyl or fabric reinforcement 16 and metal washer 18, prongs 14 are bent inward to secure male mount 10.

In FIG. 6, once prongs 24 have been inserted through the outer fabric 4 of main body 2, vinyl reinforcement 26 and metal washer 28, prongs 24 are bent inward to secure female mount 20. FIG. 2 shows prongs 14 and prongs 24 in bent position.

FIG. 7 should be utilized to understand the method of attaching appendages 1 to main body 2 using male mount 10 and female mount 20. For appendages 1 to be attached to main body 2, stud 12 must be inserted into stud receptacle 22. Stud 12 and receptacle 22 allow for 360 degrees of rotation to create life like and realistic play.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but also should be construed to cover any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A toy, comprising: a plush main body; at least one magnet, in communication with said main body; and at least one piece, removably in communication with said main body.
 2. The toy of claim 1, wherein said at least one piece is a head, appendage, or tail.
 3. The toy of claim 1, further comprising a magnet receiving portion in communication with said plush main body.
 4. The toy of claim 1, wherein said at least one magnet has a plug.
 5. The toy of claim 3, wherein said at least one magnet has a plug.
 6. The toy of claim 5, wherein said plug fits into said magnet receiving portion.
 7. The toy of claim 6, wherein said magnet receiving portion prevents said plush main body from interfering with said plug fitting into said magnet receiving portion.
 8. The toy of claim 6, wherein said plug rotates within said magnet receiving portion.
 9. The toy of claim 6, wherein a magnetic attraction between said plug and said magnet receiving portion, when said plug is fitted in said magnet receiving portion, prevents said plug from dislodging from said magnet receiving portion under normal playing condition.
 10. The toy of claim 8, wherein a magnetic attraction between said plug and said magnet receiving portion, when said plug is fitted in said magnet receiving portion, allows said plug to rotate within said magnet receiving portion.
 11. The toy of claim 1, wherein said at least one magnet is disposed on said plush main body at the point of a joint.
 12. The toy of claim 1, wherein said at least one magnet is disposed on said plush main body at the point of a head.
 13. The toy of claim 1, wherein said at least one magnet is disposed on said plush main body at the point of a tail.
 14. The toy of claim 1, wherein said at least one magnet is disposed on said plush main body at the point of an appendage.
 15. The toy of claim 1, wherein said one magnet is disposed on a joint, head, tail, or appendage.
 16. The toy of claim 6, wherein said plug fits into said magnet receiving portion so as to prevent said plug from sliding off of said magnet receiving portion if pressure is applied perpendicular to the angle of the connection between said plug and said magnet receiving portion. 